Ascension Medical Group Immediate Care adds temporary testing site - KWCH

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - In response to the latest viral surge in Sedgwick County, Ascension Medical Group Immediate Care announced that it's expanded its capacity by opening a temporary respiratory testing site, starting Monday, Jan. 17.

The idea is to get help for more patients with viral respiratory symptoms, determining if they have COVID-19 and what treatment they may need. Latest COVID-19 data from Sedgwick County shows a rolling 14-day average of positive COVID-19 tests up to 22.1 percent.

"While we are caring for around 140 patients a day, we are receiving calls from about 240," says Mollie Botts, who directs operations at the clinic, which has been seeing patients by appointment only to manage the number of people and time spent in the clinic's waiting room. "Many of these calls are coming from patients with viral respiratory symptoms that need to be assessed."

When a patient calls the Immediate Care clinic at 316-274-8107 to schedule an appointment, they will be directed to press 1 for COVID-19/respiratory care, Ascension Medical Group said. Then, their symptoms will be assessed to determine if they need an office visit or simply a swab specimen collected and sent to the lab for testing.

Ascension Medical Group explained if it's determined a patient need an appointment, it will be scheduled at the Immediate Care clinic at 3311 E. Murdock. And if the patient only needs testing, they will be scheduled for that at the temporary testing site.

At the site, patients will be checked in and given patient portal paperwork to fill out. After patients are swabbed, specimen will go to the lab and patients will get quarantine instructions and told to watch for test results that will be posted on the patient portal within two to three days (48-72 hours).

The off-site testing-only location, open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, is prepared to serve approximately 100 patients a day for as long as it's needed, Ascension Medical Group said.

"This will allow our Immediate Care as well as our family medicine clinics to focus on caring for patients with more acute needs and give patients with mild respiratory symptoms an alternative to going to the ER," said Philip Newlin, chief medical officer for AMG Via Christi. "Helping patients find the care they need in the most appropriate setting is just one step we are taking to help address the overcrowding of our hospitals, ERs and urgent care clinics."

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